Printers

Samsung is chasing new areas of growth in the enterprise space as its Knox mobile security platform is being "put through its paces" by prospective customers. In Australia the South Korean company is focussing on smartphones, LED lighting, and printing.

Devoid of Epson's usual "Office" and "Photo" monikers, the Stylus TX550W is an all-purpose inkjet multifunction that can be used in the office or home. It lacks some key office functionality like automatic duplexing and an automatic document feeder, but it has low initial and ongoing costs, and plenty of connectivity. Unfortunately, it won't deliver particularly good photo prints.

Home printers are no longer ugly beige boxes that sit in the corner and jam up at the worst possible moment. These days printers can produce brilliant photos and professional-looking documents, scan and e-mail at a touch, and even back up the contents of your memory card or USB flash drive. There are plenty of printers to choose from, but not all are suitable for students. When purchasing a printer, make sure think about what you plan to use it for, the connections you will need and your budget.

Christmas may be over, but that doesn't mean the savings are. With students shortly heading back to school, there are plenty of bargains to be found. We round up some of the best of the week, including dirt cheap mobile broadband, Google's first smartphone and a great ASUS notebook!

Dell's Wasabi PZ310 is an extremely portable photo printer that can produce a 2x3in photo in under a minute. For $30, the printer is a reasonable impulse buy, but low print quality and a short battery life make it a poor purchase for anything more.

The Interact S605 is Lexmark’s range-topping inkjet multifunction printer for the home office. Boasting a handy SmartSolutions touch screen and automatic duplexing (double-sided printing), this printer is good for basic printing and offers one-touch access to advanced features such as business card scanning and print presets. However, even with these features its high price tag is a bit hard to accept.

Like many other smartphones, the iPhone is quickly becoming a mobile office. When it comes to making hard copies of data stored on the phone, however, it can be time consuming to transfer files to a computer before printing them off. Thankfully, it's also unnecessary: the App Store offers a range of iPhone apps designed for printing, from all-in-one mobile office suites to basic photo printing apps from the manufacturer of your printer.

The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.

My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.

Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of IDG Communications is prohibited. Copyright 2013 IDG Communications.
ABN 14 001 592 650. All rights reserved.

Contact Us

With over 25 years of brand awareness and credibility, Good Gear Guide (formerly PC World Australia), consistently delivers editorial excellence through award-winning content and trusted product reviews.